# North Dakota name change??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253 "2001-06-26T23:57:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/21 "2001-06-28T05:30:42Z")
Nocturne, I’ll be coming back Sunday, July 8. Gotta be back in the cotton fields on Monday morning. We planning another BamaDope? Please say ‘yes.’ ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/22 "2001-06-28T05:43:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ogre \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > If Aladamnbama changed its name to West Georgia, would they get any more respect? No, probably not. > > You mean you people don’t respect my lovely home state? > > ☹ \*\* Oh no, don’t get me wrong here, it _is_ a fine addition to the Union. I just feel that I am not worthy to share in its treasures and benefits (read: you can keep it, because even though I am from New Jersey, I have seen far better and would rather live there). It really is a fine addition, whether it’s North or South. 🙂 Tripler No comment. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/23 "2001-06-28T06:04:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by particlewill \* > Seems that as soon as young people graduate college, they leave the state. We are sitting at the lowest unemployment rate ever. It’s like .5% or some such. There are not enough employees to fill the low-paying, dead end jobs. Employers in this state are in a panic over the lack of warm bodies to work, and yet refuse to do anything REAL to keep people from leaving, like paying a living wage, or stop splitting full time jobs into part time ones. I didn’t save the website I got this from, but I seem to remember that average grade school teachers’ salaries from like 1997 were something in the vicinity of $17,000 to $19,000. A year. And Nocturne, since the chief exports of Canada are cold, snow, and hockey players, and NoDak doesn’t have enough to sustain even itself . . .🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/24 "2001-06-28T12:41:50Z")
Wait, wait, wait…we have NORTH Dakota now? How long has this been going on, and why wasn’t I informed? ---
**Author:** ![finnofranco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@finnofranco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/finnofranco)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/25 "2001-06-28T12:55:34Z")
North Dakota…new name…hmmm…what about ‘Kenneth’? It’s a strong name, but it can also be very familiar. I like that. Maybe ‘Kyle’ or ‘Sammy’? Is North Dakota a masculine noun? If not, perhaps ‘Wendy’ or ‘Jessica’. If we are looking for non-gender-specific names, maybe we could look at ‘Chris’ or ‘Pat’. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/26 "2001-06-28T13:42:01Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Tripler \* \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by particlewill \* > **But then I’m reminded that I can’t drive faster than 42 MPH when going to work in December, because my engine block freezes from the wind chill and I stall out.** \*\* Have you tried wiring a piece of cardboard between the grille and radiator? Hey, North Dakota can call itself West Minnesota if it wants to. I don’t mind. Or probably East Montana, but you’d have to check with **Lindy Hooper** or **Jodi** about that. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/27 "2001-06-28T14:24:28Z")
If they really think that they need the name change as a serious “economic development initiative”, maybe they should seek a corporate sponsorship for the state, like sports stadia do. Get ready for the state of…Dodge Dakota! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/28 "2001-06-28T14:59:24Z")
> [@](#): > > North Dakota…new name…hmmm…what about ‘Kenneth’? It’s a strong name, but it can also be very familiar. I like that. Maybe ‘Kyle’ or ‘Sammy’? Is North Dakota a masculine noun? If not, perhaps ‘Wendy’ or’Jessica’. If we are looking for non-gender-specific names, maybe we could look at ‘Chris’ or ‘Pat’. Or “Bob.” When Nunavut split from the Northwest Territories, there was some thought that the NWT should be re-named. They had a survey on the Internet. “Bob” (spelt and pronounced the same in both of Canada’s official languages) was a front-runner. They kept with the “Northwest Territories.” ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/29 "2001-06-28T15:36:52Z")
> [@](#): > > It really is a fine addition, whether it’s North or South. I wouldn’t go that far, Tripler. Sometimes I think it’s like living in the Third World, but it has a certain Cro-Magnon charm. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/30 "2001-06-28T23:23:56Z")
\<\<\ **Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/31 "2001-06-28T23:49:05Z") > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ogre \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > It really is a fine addition, whether it’s North or South. > > I wouldn’t go that far, Tripler. Sometimes I think it’s like living in the Third World, but it has a certain Cro-Magnon charm. 🙂 > > \*\* I know that it’s part of the singlemost powerful Superpower on the planet, but why is it that every time I leave work for the day, someone plays the closing theme to “_Little House on the Prairie_”. It’s freaky I tell ya. . . Tripler Miles and miles of nuthin’. Absolutely nuthin’. ---
**Author:** ![absoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@absoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/absoul)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/32 "2001-06-29T00:31:19Z")
Oohhhh! I found a pretty cool picture of North Dakota in January: here. Is my depth perception going whack??? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/33 "2001-06-29T01:25:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by absoul \* > \*\*Oohhhh! I found a pretty cool picture of North Dakota in January: here. > > Is my depth perception going whack??? > > \*\* OK, I fell for it. You suck. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/34 "2001-06-29T01:37:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by screech-owl \* > \*\*Well, I live in Florida which seems to be divided into > > REALLY South Georgia > > and > > REALLY REALLY Southern NewYorkIllinoisMichiganMassachussettsandlotsofCanada > > judging from the license plates of the locals. \*\* What about Cuba del Norte? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/35 "2001-06-29T01:40:11Z")
If North and South Dakota won’t go to war over this by themselves, then it’s up to us to instigate said war. **Tripler** , I’m asking you to provide a first strike. Get a bunch of your fellow soldiers together, grab some Harleys, and tool on down to Sturgis. When you’re there, begin some covert ops – you know, paint “South Dakota sucks!” on a cow, leave some pamphlets of South Dakota jokes lying around, maybe leave a bag of flaming cow shit on the governor’s doorstep and ring the doorbell. And push over a few Harleys on your way out, just to rub their noses in it. Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana will start the playground teasing. “Neener neener neener, you can’t beat North Dakota! You’re the LESSER Dakota!” Eventually, South Dakota will be goaded into attacking, at which point the already-prepared North Dakotans can easily win the war. Then we can continue on our future goals of reuniting West Virginia with Real Virginia, and blend the Carolinas into one state. (Once we do that, we’re prepared for our final goal – cross-breeding Jesse Helms and Strom Thurmond. American politics will never be the same.) ---
**Author:** ![deb2world](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@deb2world](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deb2world)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/36 "2001-06-29T02:05:28Z")
Don’t they only have to e-mail **tubadiva** and she will change their name? Didn’t they read the rules before entering statehood? So maybe they can now be **Chicken of Bristol**. ---
**Author:** ![waxteeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@waxteeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waxteeth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/37 "2001-06-29T02:35:47Z")
What if they go the way of sports arenas and become Pepsi Dakota or better yet Microsoft Dakota? ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/38 "2001-06-29T02:37:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LNO \* > \*\*If North and South Dakota won’t go to war over this by themselves, then it’s up to us to instigate said war. > > **Tripler** , I’m asking you to provide a first strike. \*\* I would in a heartbeat! I also do like the [numbers](http://www.census.gov/population/projections/state/stpjpop.txt): With current projections, we’re outnumbered by 115 thousand. I know this doesn’t mean much, but considering the fact that we’re defending, current doctrine recommends a 3:1 advantage when attacking a prepared defense. Add to the fact that that I _know_ we have nukes. . . But you are asking me to stand up and take offensive action for a state that I don’t want to be in and/or around. It’s like me taking a stand for the New York Rangers - it ain’t gonna happen. Tripler I may be nuts, but I do have principles. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/39 "2001-06-29T03:12:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tripler \* > **But you are asking me to stand up and take offensive action for a state that I don’t want to be in and/or around. It’s like me taking a stand for the New York Rangers - it ain’t gonna happen.** No, that’s the beauty of it! You can provoke the war and then flee to Minnesota before the exchange of nuclear weapons. South Dakota’s got their fair share of 'em too - and the end result? The great plains are now nuked down to bedrock. We send in the Marines to paint some parking stripes on them, and we’ve got a huge parking lot for the spillover from Vikings games. That’s just a win-win situation, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/40 "2001-06-29T03:31:58Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by LNO \* \*\* > [@](#): > > No, that’s the beauty of it! You can provoke the war and then flee to Minnesota before the exchange of nuclear weapons. \*\* Dude, At those distances, I have almost a whole 4 minutes to evac. I’m crazy, but I’m not stupid. But on the other hand, a protracted war would be kinda cool. But that would mean Civil war, and I would be forced to take part in supressing it, or at least keeping it to a minimum. That means I’ll be at ground zero. But what the hell. If Jesse Ventura would egg South Dakota to take us on, I guess it would be worth it! 😃 Tripler Let’s go SoDak! You all SUCK!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253.md?page=3)